


On Your Bike

by sirladyknight



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Alternate Universe - Mob, Alternate Universe - Modern: Still Have Powers, F/M, Fem!Gon Freecs - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-24
Updated: 2016-09-28
Packaged: 2018-05-28 18:23:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6340318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sirladyknight/pseuds/sirladyknight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Killua is the heir of a prominent Mafia family and attends Hunter University, a private college for those with the skills, money, or connections. His family expects him to continue in the family business, but secretly he is trying to find another path for his life through the college. </p><p>Gon is a recently transferred student who is only in such an elite school to find her dad, Ging, a former student and Hunter. </p><p>Basically, a shamelessly self-serving AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I had trouble picking a title and I thought this was funny because you know. That's what mobsters say, right. ANYWAYS. This is all I got so far. What do you think?

Raindrops pelted loudly against the passenger side window of the discreet black car, bringing Killua slowly back to reality. His mind had been filled with his usual daydream: an open road at his feet, not a cent in his pocket, but he was free to travel whatever way he wanted to, for better or worse. Sighing, he watched his breath fog up the glass, wondering if this rain was going to make him late for class. He hoped not, lateness was highly looked down upon at Hunter University and the college would dock him points, meaning his parents (read: his mother) would finally have an excuse for him to pester him about dropping out.

He felt awkward actually wanting to get to class on time, he hadn't been such an exemplary student in his previous schools but this was a place he actually wanted to stay in. If he graduated, he could become anything he wanted. Power and wealth were not new to him, but prestige from his own accomplishments? That was worth playing the good school boy.

Naturally, his parents expected him to become the heir of their "Family", with this degree he could become that. In the same way, they also knew he could choose any other occupation with that very same degree. They weren't fools, but they knew when to pick their battles and he had fought furiously to get admitted so they had allowed him. It was a risky gamble and his parents were cautious people, as expected of Mafia assassins who specialized in hits of high profile persons. A single mistake could send him right back to the large, prison-like mansion he unfortunately called home and a life of methodical murder.

It was worth it to taste freedom, even if it was partially an illusion.

Lulled by the rain, he had almost returned to his daydream when a flash of green flew by the vehicle, traveling far too swiftly in this weather. His eyes were keen and even in the pouring rain he could make out a person on a bicycle, weaving effortlessly in and out of traffic.

'Idiot,' he thought, already losing interest. 'Maybe he'll crash? That would be funny.'

His focus returned to the droplets running down the window, permitting his mind to think of a future with open roads.

 

Gon was late, she didn't know how, but she was incredibly late. Her clock had mysteriously become unplugged and thrown across the room but she didn't recall doing it. Then again, she had been fighting a giant white cat-bug in her dreams and it had gotten pretty intense, so she might have reacted badly when the alarm had gone off. A potential theory she'd have to investigate further, later, because if she didn't leave the house _now_ she was going to get her first tardy and ruin her perfect attendance record.

She had worked so hard to get into this college, the only one in the world that would allow her to fulfill her dream: finding her father. He had attended Hunter University and passed with flying colors, then he had disappeared and no one of normal standing could gather any information on him. However, a Hunter graduate could get access to the files, no problem.

Her memories of him were vague, he had left when she was very young, and most of what she knew had she learned from Mito-san, her aunt who raised her. He was a Hunter, what kind of Hunter that she didn't know, but if he was willing to leave everything behind, even her, to achieve that dream, she would find out why. She would become a Hunter and find him herself no matter what it took.

Gon hurried to the bathroom, tugging on her uniform: a short-sleeve, white button-up shirt and forest green shorts. She had opted out of the skirt for convenience, she was far too active, and also had a tendency to climb trees. It was a simple outfit but elegantly cut, as you would expect of such a prestigious school.

Hunter University was elite for a reason; you had to be extremely wealthy, influential, or abnormally gifted to enter. Gon was definitely not the first two, but she was talented. She studied feverishly for weeks before she attempted the written exam, barely passing. Thankfully, she was able to breeze through the physical exam, astounding the examiners and ensuring her a spot in the school roster.

Gon could hear the rain pouring down outside, groaning as she realized it would make it that much harder for her to reach the school on time. While traveling by bike was a good way to save money, she didn't like to ride in the rain since cars couldn't see her very well. If she got hit, she couldn't afford a new bicycle. Priorites. 

Pulling on her green hoodie, she grabbed her backpack and rushed to her bike. There was no time to make a lunch, a decision that pained her, but if she pedaled quickly she could make it in time for breakfast in the cafeteria.

Darting in and out of traffic, she glanced briefly to one side to check if the car was going to merge in front of her and saw a pale male figure in a black car.

'Huh,' she thought, puzzling over his expression as she rode on, 'he looks so sad.'

But then a truck cut in front of her, making her jerk her attention back to the present. She dodged, but the car behind her wasn't so lucky. It's front bumper took most of the damage, but it wasn't going anywhere and from the loud, angry shouts coming from both the vehicles, neither was traffic.

"Oops," she said, sticking out her tongue in her usual apologetic manner as she circled around the crash. "I hope no one needs to get somewhere anytime soon."

 

Killua was not only late, he was _pissed_. Some morons had wrecked ahead of them in traffic, causing all movement to stop. If he had stayed in the car like his driver had wanted him to, he would have probably missed class entirely. Running through the rain had not been an enjoyable experience but at least he managed to get the licenses plates of the vehicles responsible for his delay. He'd pay them back later.

His clothes were soaked by the time he reached the campus and _of course_ the rain chose at that moment to cease. Thankfully, he had a spare uniform in his locker. If he had time, he would have head directly to it so he could change but he doubted his professor ( _Bisky_ , he hissed with dislike) would have believed his excuse.

In the end, he arrived a minute late, soaked and angry like wet cat.

'Great,' he thought vehemently, 'Late, wet, and now I have to deal with my least favorite professor. Just wonderful.'

"Mister Zoldyck, I understand that you live farther away than most but lateness is no excuse for such an… appearance." Professor Bisky looked him up and down, frowning disapprovingly at the puddles forming underneath his feet. She was short and young looking, but he suspected she was much older than she acted. Especially when it came to disciplining, she sounded like an old hag who was well into her fifties.

"It was raining," he spoke slowly and carefully, trying not to let his urge to slice her throat leak into his voice. "There was a car crash that blocked traffic and I didn't want to be late. So," he gestured to his dripping clothing, "I ran the rest of the way."

"Right, well, go change into something dry first and then come to class," she replied dismissively, turning back to the chalkboard to finish writing down the notes for the day. She muttered to herself, "Honestly, young people these days…"

Killua did not know if that meant he wasn't going to be marked tardy, but he frankly didn't care anymore. Walking quickly to his locker, he snatched his clothes and headed to a restroom to change, wincing at the squelching of his shoes.

So focused on the horrendous sounds his shoes were making, he didn't notice the person in front of him until they grabbed him by the shoulders to stop him from running into them.

He jerked back in shock, falling into a defensive stance.

"Oh, sorry," the young woman said, still holding her hands up. "I thought you were going to run into me."

"I was," he admitted, almost sounding as if he didn't believe it himself. The whole day had been off kilter so far, why not this as well?

Her long black hair was held back by a green headband and it draped over her shoulder as tilted her head in interest, inquiring brightly, "What kind of style was that? I don't think I've seen it before. Oh, and my name's Gon! Nice to meet you!"

"Killua." He forced himself to relax, oddly his heart still racing. "It doesn't surprise me, it's a style only used by my family." The color of her hoodie caught his attention. "Hey, where you riding a bike earlier?"

"Yeah," she responded, blinking, "How did you know?" Her eyes widened as she took in his appearance, "Oh! You're that guy in the car!"

"Huh? You saw me?" He asked incredulously, after all she had been going by extremely fast.

"Uh huh, you looked so sad, I kept thinking about you after I rode by," Gon answered honestly, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion at the way he flushed.

'Okay, so she did see me.' Killua was impressed and mortified. Really, this day needed to end already. "I had a lot on my mind."

She nodded understandingly, then gestured to his clothes, "Well, I'll leave you to change. Maybe we'll have a class together? I hope so." She grinned, her tawny eyes sparkling, "By the way, did you run all the way here in that amount of time? That's so cool!"

He scratched the back of his neck, modest but smirking, "It wasn't that far."

"It was three miles away! In the rain! That's amazing," she protested, unwilling to let his accomplishment pass unnoticed.

The gong of the school clock resounded through the hall, distracting the pair from their talk.

"Oh, right, class. You better go," Killua said, feeling regretful that the conversation had to end already. He looked over at her, noting her hopeful expression. "I'll see you later."

"Okay! Bye then!" She waved, still smiling as she headed down the hall opposite his direction. He watched her go, unable to continue walking until she was out of sight.

"…Wait." He said aloud in the empty hallway. "Did she cause that wreck?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hisoka is great and I don't care how creepy he is I love him so there. Killua, on the other hand, is super grossed out by him but Gon isn't and he's like ??!?

They met again two days later, spotting each other across a classroom packed full of students.

Back against the wall, Killua had been scanning the crowd when his eyes met hers. She looked just as shocked to see him then her face lit up in a smile and she weaved through the crowd to join him by the wall. She was wearing a green jacket again over her uniform, he noted. Maybe it was her favorite color?

"Fancy meeting you here, Killua."

He glanced at her and nodded shortly, trying to maintain his cool, collected demeanor. Their first meeting had been an embarrassing one for him and he was not going to let it happen twice. "Gon. Cause any accidents on your way here today?"

"I didn't cause that accident! I just happened to be around when it happened."

He rolled his eyes and she huffed a laugh, bumping his shoulder with hers and throwing him off balance. Flustered, he nudged her back and soon they were on the verge having a full-fledged mock-fight until the instructor stepped in to start class.

Turns out they both had the same obscure subject, Ancient Combat Techniques, as part of their curriculum and he couldn't think of a better class to finally have someone to talk to in. Particularly since the Professor was his older brother's creepy friend, Hisoka. The red-haired man had introduced himself as a "Magician", but Killua knew a clown when he saw one.

Gon glanced around at the seating choices and he stared meaningfully at the seat next to him, trying to be subtle. He breathed a silent sigh of relief when she took the hint and settled in.

Hisoka's gaze lingered on a select few students as he forced the class to introduce themselves, making weird, slightly predatory comments. Killua was one of the special few and so was Gon, he figured it meant that they were some of the more skilled pupils in the class. His remarks to Gon were particularly uncomfortable, calling her a green fruit or something equally bizarre. Killua decided he'd help Gon avoid Hisoka as much as possible.

Hisoka's high pitched voice droned on for the next forty minutes and he listened at first, but eventually his mind began to wander. He had copied down the notes on the board already and sat slouched in his seat. To his right, Gon was paying attention, her hands folded in front of her and her back straight. As he watched, he saw her eyelids start to droop and he smirked beneath his hand.

If she fell asleep, he would play the part of dutiful classmate and awaken her. In his own way, of course.

He was debating the effectiveness of a ruler versus a pencil as a bludgeoning tool when he felt a tap on his right shoulder. Turning with a snarky comment already on his lips, he found not Gon but Hisoka standing beside him.

"Is my lecture boring you, Killua?" He smiled, which was somehow worse than if he had just looked angry. "It certainly seems to have put Miss Freeces into a meditative state."

Dread pooling in his stomach, Killua leaned back to look around him and saw Gon sleeping soundly, somehow still upright.

At a loss for words, he met Hisoka's ever growing smile with a weak one of his own. "Ah. She's been really tired recently…"

"I'd like you both to stay after class."

Killua groaned. So much for avoiding him.

 

They had a ten-minute break before the second half of the lesson resumed and the class was allowed move freely. When Gon had awaked, by ruler, he relayed Hisoka's message which she accepted meekly. She didn't seem nearly as horrified as she should have been in his opinion. Either she was very brave or very foolish; he suspected it was a bit of both.

"You don't like sweets?" Killua asked, looking at Gon as if she thought the world was flat and the moon landing was staged. His Chocorobo-kun box sat half empty in between them and she was playing with the robot toy prize that came with it. "How can you not like sweets?"

"I like honey," Gon retorted defensively and paused to consider what else she enjoyed. "I like chocolate chip cookies, too, but just that kind of cookie. I like cake, I guess."

"What about ice cream? Everyone loves ice cream." He tossed a chocolate into the air and caught in with his mouth.

Gon shrugged, fiddling with the small robot so it stood in a fighting position. "I'll eat it if it's there. Oh!" She nearly jumped out of her seat in her excitement. "I got it!"

Killua paused mid-chew to raise an eyebrow at her.

"I can't believe I almost forgot about it, I get it every single time I pass through town. Green Apple Tart frozen yogurt! That's my favorite dessert!" She proclaimed proudly, snagging a chocolate from him and popping it into her mouth with a grin.

Hisoka snapped the chalk he had been writing with in half. Clutching the chalkboard with one hand and smearing the notes, he pressed the other to his face, looking flushed.

A chill ran down their spines as he stayed hunched against the board. Gon spoke up, despite Killua's furious shake of his head. "Professor?"

He mumbled something under his breath about unripe apples that made Killua very uncomfortable for her sake, as she didn't seem too bothered.

"Right…" Killua muttered, standing up and gesturing for Gon to do the same. "Let's go get something to drink."

"Sure!"

They hurried out into the hallway and Gon muffled a laugh. "You should have seen your face, Killua. I thought you were going to faint."

"Shut up, I was not! He's just… really creepy, and he reminds me of my brother in a way. Which makes sense." He folded his arms behind his head, keeping pace with her as she searched for the nearest vending machine. They found one right around the corner.

"Why?" She pulled out some coins and pushed in her order which came clunking down the shoot a few seconds later. "Are they friends?"

Killua shook his head. "No, I don't really think they care that much about each other but they hang out sometimes."

"I think that means they could be friends?" Gon stepped aside and let him put in his own coins. He debated briefly and decided to get a strawberry soda. A few seconds later, he popped it open with a hiss of fizz. He scoffed, "Trust me, my brother does not have friends."

"Why not?" She took a sip of her can of green tea, no sugar added. He glared at it in disgust.

"It's kind of a rule. Mafia families aren't fond of outsiders," he said casually, it would be pointless to lie and he was tired of deceit anyway. "But I'm done following them."

"Oh," Gon replied cheerfully, placing her hand on her chest, "I'm glad, for a second I was worried that you didn't consider me your friend."

He paused with the can at his lips, eyes wide. What did she say? "We're friends?"

"I know, it was stupid of me to doubt it." Gon scratched her head, clearly mistaking his question for an affirmation. "I'm glad I have a friend in this class, we can partner up for the practice fights next week. I'll do my best so don't hold back, okay, Killua?"

"Ah, yeah, sure." Ducking his head, he hid his smile with the soda can. "I won't hold back. Definitely."

Gon glanced at her watch, sighing, "Well, we have a few more minutes. I can't believe I fell asleep in class again. That reminds me, what's you're reason for coming to this school? I'm here so I can find my father."

Encouraged by her lack of fear, he decided to continue telling her the truth, "I'm done with the Mafia, I want to choose my own path, not follow the one my family already has laid out for me."

She smiled. "That's a good reason."

"Yeah," he agreed, feeling the weight of his hidden dream fall from his shoulders. "Yeah, it is."

A few minutes of silence passed by.

"So, Mafia, huh?"

"...Yep."

"That's kinda cool."

"It's really not."

They both were still laughing when they walked back into class.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introducing more characters, yay!

Gon wasn’t the best when it came to studying and even martial art history became boring after a couple weeks, or a day in her case. So, when Hisoka had finally allowed them to partner up for the sparring lessons, she was thrilled. She would learn how to improve her fighting technique and see Killua in action. Growing up in a Mafia family had given him a unique set of skills; he hadn’t specified what skills exactly so she was eager to observe them for herself.

The entire class was allowed to partner up with the person of their choosing and each duo had their own mat to practice on. The goal was to force your partner backwards until they stepped off the mat, earning the person who did not step off the mat one point. With a total of ten matches, the person who gained the most points would win.

Grinning eagerly at Killua, Gon stretched, pulling each leg up into an upright split and then extending her arms upwards and across her head. He rolled his eyes and stood with his arms folded, seemingly bored. But she knew from the way his shoulders tensed and his lips pressed together as if he were trying not to smile that he was just as excited to spar as she was. The rest of the class was still milling about, trying to decide hit-placement rules and penalties for their matches, but Gon and Killua already knew exactly what to do.

She fell into her favorite fighting position and he quickly did the same. They stared silently at one another, waiting for the other to break first and attack.

Gon could be extremely patient when she wanted to be. Once she had sat for three days in one place in order to capture a rare bird to take some of its feathers to make a gift for her aunt. Most days, she could be very, very patient, but this was not one of those days.

A second before she was going to leap forward, Hisoka called loudly for the class’s attention. She huffed in annoyance but straighten up to listen and she heard Killua grumble something under his breathe that sound vaguely like, “Stupid pervy clown.”

“Ah, before you begin, there is one thing I forgot to mention.” He held up a finger, smiling serenely. “You’re not allowed to fight the person you partnered up with. The person on the mat to your left is now your new partner.”

“What?!”

“That’s no fair!”

“I don’t want to spar then!”

Hisoka’s smile widened and as he slid his yellow-eyed gaze across the noisy room, everyone fell silent. “Now, then,” he continued, walking down the main path between the mats. “You may begin.”

Gon stared mournfully at Killua. “It looks like we’re going to have to postpone this for now.”

“Che, it seems so,” he muttered bitterly, glaring at Hisoka’s back as he walked past. “I figured that creep would find a way to ruin this too.”

He sighed and looked to his left to evaluate his new partner. Gon did the same, feeling let down but still ready to fight.

The man to her left was older looking, like a businessman, complete with a blue suit and glasses. He rubbed his hand against his stubbly cheek, looking just as disappointed as she felt. Giving her a once over, he asked, “You’re my spar mate then?”

“Yes,” she said, scratching her head shyly. “I’ll do my best, so don’t hold back.”

“Ah, man, I was really looking forward to teaching that blondie a thing or two.” He exhaled noisily, glaring at his previous partner.

She glanced over to Killua to find him talking to the blond. They both had a cool attitude about them but she could feel a growing undercurrent of animosity between them like the crackling of lightening. Their match would be interesting to watch, she was sure that they were both skilled fighters. Still, she wished she could have gotten at least one match with Killua before they had to switch.

“Leorio, by the way.”

“Huh?” Gon blinked. She turned back to the man before her who shrugged wearily, saying, “I didn’t know if you were ever going to ask for my name. It’s Leorio.”

“Oh, sorry! I didn’t mean to be rude, my name is Gon. Nice to meet you,” she said politely, reaching out to shake his hand. Smiling at his firm grip, she gestured to the mat. “Would you like to get started?”

He grinned, moving to the spot opposite of her. “Sure, don’t be surprised if I take you advice. You seem to know what you’re doing so I won’t hold back just because you’re a girl.”

“I would be very disappointed if you did,” she replied with a chuckle, lifting her hands up in her fighting stance once again.

 

Killua did not like his new partner. He glanced over to Gon and saw that she had already begun sparring with his replacement. She moved fluidly around the man’s punches and kicks, blocking only occasionally. Darting in whenever he had an opening in his movements, she steadily pushed him back until he set a foot off the mat. The older man looked shocked at first, having lost the first round but his grin broadened and he laughed, stepping back into the match enthusiastically.

Trying not to feel jealous, he returned his glare at the blond man before him.

“Look, I’m just as disappointed as you are, but let’s make the best of this, shall we?” The blond, Kurapika was the name he had mention earlier, was trying to mitigate the situation but Killua was having none of it. He didn’t want to fight this new person, he wanted to fight Gon.

“Whatever.” Killua took a few steps back and fell into a practiced stance. He was going to make that blond regret setting foot into this classroom.

Kurapika took a deep breath to calm his angry thoughts and slid into a familiar form. This white-haired brat wanted to be difficult? Fine, he would show him that he was well worth his time.


	4. Chapter 4

"Killua… Don't you think that you went a little overboard?" Leorio asked, dabbing an alcohol soaked cotton ball on the younger teen's cheek where a wooden sword had nearly taken out his eye. The blond had pulled them out of nowhere, forcing Killua to exert himself more than he had wanted. It pissed him off that he actually had to use most of his skill to fend the other off, even more so that the blond actually landed some blows.

Killua didn't wince at the stinging sensation, but his eyes narrowed marginally at the question. Kicking out a leg and ignoring the ache from his bruised muscles, he replied indifferently, "Not at all, old man."

The doctor-in-training bristled. "I told you not to call me that, you brat." He pressed the cotton ball harder to no response, which made him angrier. Standing up, he gathered his medical supplies. "Feh, whatever. Serves you right, going all out like that in a sparring match."

 

Gon, who had been nursing an equally wounded Kurapika on the opposite side of the room, frowned in their direction, having overheard the conversation. She had to take the blond aside to treat him, to separate him from both Killua and Leorio, both of whom had some sort of dislike for him. He seemed polite and kind from her interactions, so she didn't understand why the other boys couldn't get along with him.

"You did really well against Killua," Gon observed, looking over the scratches on his arm. "You both had to work hard to keep up with each other."

"I was trying to avoid escalading the situation, but I was not going to back down from a challenge." Kurapika responded calmly, sitting sedately as she worked her way up his arm with disinfectant and bandages. He had taken the brunt of Killua's clawed attacks with his swords, but the boy was faster than he had expected and his injured arms proved it. Any slower and he would have had his heart skewered.

"I'm jealous, I wish I could have a fight with you like that, even though it ended in a tie," Gon said, sighing as she rolled down his sleeve. She patted his arm carefully. "There, all done."

"Thank you." Kurapika smiled, lifting an eyebrow. "Surely you wouldn't want to fight to that extent?"

"Of course! You both did your best," Gon chirped, hopping to her feet.

"We were trying to kill each other." He intoned dryly, standing up slowly so his wounds didn't reopen.

"Well, I didn't say it was a perfect match," she laughed, folding her hands behind her back. They walked to the front of the room, where Killua and Leorio stood arguing. "Ah, are you two still going at it?"

"No," they replied in unison, and then scowled in disgust at each other.

Gon giggled and Kurapika rolled his eyes, saying, "Really, you both are more alike than you think."

They both looked incredibly offended. "Oh, yeah, and just how well do you know me, blondie?" Leorio sniffed, shouldering his briefcase. "You couldn't even beat some snotty little brat like him, so I wouldn't act so high and mighty."

"Watch it, gramps," Killua intoned, shooting him a glare before returning his attention to the true object of his ire. "I want a rematch."

Kurapika seemed to have expected this, because he replied straightforwardly, "No."

Gon hummed and nodded as if she knew what his reply was going to be. Killua blinked in astonishment, taking a second to collect himself before responding, "What do you mean 'no'?"

"I meant no. It would be pointless to have a rematch now at our current skill level. I'll fight you when both of us have grown stronger, strong enough that one of us will win without uncertainty." Kurapika explained, gesturing to the equal amount of wounds they had sustained. It had been a close match, if Hisoka hadn't stepped in to stop them, they would undoubtedly be still fighting. "My cute students, as exciting as this is, I did not tell you to fight to the death. I want both of you in one piece at the end of the semester," Hisoka had drawled, appearing abruptly in the middle of their battle. "Besides, the only one who get's to kill in my classroom is me."

Back in the present, the small group stood in tense silence, waiting for Killua's response.

"Che, fine. Whatever." He turned and walked away, glancing briefly over at Gon. She bobbed her head in goodbye to the other two boys. "It was nice meeting you both. I hope we can spar again sometime, Leorio! And I'd like a match against you too, Kurapika."

They smiled wryly at her as she hurried after her friend. Kurapika chuckled. "What a strange girl."

"Yeah, how can she be friends with a guy like him?" Leorio asked, scratching the back of his head in confusion.

Kurapika didn't answer, recalling the match silently. The boy with white hair had a cruel temper, but he didn't lose his head in battle. In fact, it made him deadlier. Raising a hand to his chest, he ran a finger over the rip in his tunic. He had tried to tear his heart out with his bare hands, what kind of person would do such a thing over a simple match? Not a normal person, that was for certain. Just who was this friend of Gon's?

 

Outside, Gon exhaled softly as she kept pace with an irritated Killua. She wasn't sure where they were going but she wisely stayed silent until he spoke, "I don't like that guy. He's too perceptive."

"I thought that was a good thing?" She queried, taking out her schedule to look over her classes. College was much more complicated when it came to class times and locations, in her opinion.

"Not if you're his opponent." He replied grimly. It pained him to admit it but the fight had been closer than he had liked. His own confidence in his abilities had nearly been his downfall; the other boy had no problem using his full strength even as Killua tried to hold back out of pride. Kurapika had seen that and struck relentlessly until he was forced to take the fight seriously. In his annoyance, Killua had revealed a technique that he hadn't planned to bring out until much later, as it was so recognizable. Besides his family, who else was known to rip out hearts with their bare hands? As clever as he was, it was only a matter of time until the blond figured out his identity and Killua did not need that kind of attention while trying to play the respectable student.

"You nearly killed him," Gon noted, running her hand through her hair as she puzzled over class times in her head. They were right by their next lesson, so he had thought ahead and knowingly brought them there. She was glad they had two classes together, but that made the other two she had without him even more boring.

"Yeah," Killua sighed, finally stopping at a fountain. "I guess I got a little carried away."

Gon smirked. "Really, Killua, I thought I was the one who made rash decisions in this relationship."

The boy sputtered in embarrassment, turning sharply away from her to hide his blush. "Shut up! I said I got carried away!"

She laughed again, nudging him gently with her shoulder. "You know, if you want to separate yourself from the Mafia, you have to make better choices."

Her words struck a chord within him and he stared thoughtfully back at her. "What kind of choices do you mean?"

Gon paused, plopping herself down on the fountains wide rim. She tapped her fingers against the teal ceramic tiles, mimicking the water's steady murmur. She slowly gathered her words, saying, "I guess I meant you shouldn't react with just your training. You attack to kill, but you don't have to anymore, right? You can fight or surrender or walk away, no one should be controlling your actions. You want to be your own person, so make the decisions that you want to make." She shrugged with smile. "I suppose that's what I meant."

Killua sat next to her, stretching out his sore legs. "I… think I understand. You're right. I'm acting the way my brother taught me to and he's not my boss anymore, so why should I listen to him? I'm done with him and everything he tried to force on me."

Peace fell over them as they delved into their own thoughts, the only sounds being the wind against the stone buildings and the fountain behind them.

Killua grinned, glancing coyly over at Gon. "Heh, when did you get so smart?"

Textbook response, as expected.

"I've always been smart, Killua!" She yelled.


End file.
